Across
the South Wales countryside the tenant farmers and farm workers
in particular were finding the high toll charges levied on them by the
Turnpike Trusts a real burden in difficult times. Rhayader had no
less than six toll gates on
the roads into the town. This meant that any journey by horse or horse-drawn
vehicle could prove expensive, and bringing animals into market especially
so. This was not
the only reason that local people became angry. Prices of stock
at sale had fallen, and there had been bad harvests making times even
harder for working people. High rates and the increase of tithe payments
to the church made the situation worse.
Those who feared they would not be able to manage had only the new Poor
Law Unions and the feared workhouse
to fall back on. (see pages onthe
Rhayader Union)

Eventually people became
so angry that they resorted to violence.
Local tollgates were a convenient target. No-one is completely sure why
the local tenant farmers and workers created Rebecca and her daughters as
a disguise, but it is thought that
the idea comes from the Bible. In Genesis, Rebecca recommended that some
"possess the gates of those which hate them".

The different groups of attackers
were often led by a "Rebecca" and were all dressed in
women's clothing.
The cartoon above is from Punch magazine
at the time, and it shows Rebecca rioters attacking tollgates marked with
the things they were angry about.